The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-07-13
SOME BALLOON STORIES.
THRILLING EXPERIENCES OF PROF.
KING AND THE WISES.

Ira, cling Seventy Miles an IIour--Lunding
In IL Wilderness. Caught in II Snow storm
without N Nnlvo Rope Driven to Sea.
(from the Philadelphia Timcs)
There are no two names better known
in tho annals Of of American aoronautics
than those of King and Wise. Professor
Samuel a. King is now in his sixtictll
ycnr. Since 1851 he has been u prncti-
cal acronaut, making his first ascension
in the summer of that year from the old
geological Garden, i'll Fairmount Park.
Since then he has made 2SG aerial voy-
ages and great many lesser asconsions.
Ills wife, who is n quiet, modest little
woman, has made number of asccn-
sions with him and regards ballooning n
much safer mode Of travelling than car
riago riding. She is afraid of horses,
but doesn't mind taking iaunt through
the nir mile or so above the earth. In
one Of her trips sho onco had a narrow
escape. 1t WAS two years ago ut In
dlanapolis. After rcmarkably pleasant
ascension tho balloon in descending sud
denly swaycd when near the earth and
caught in dead tree. The sharp branch
ripped the balloon open causing it to
collapse, and landing the basket in which
she and her husband sat in fork OF the
tree, sixty feet from the Garth AS Cuick
ns thought Professor King braccd The
basket with rope, until he had cut the
balloon away, then, dropping another
rope to some farm hands, ho loosoncd
the basket and was lowered over limb
to tho earth. Neither he nor his wife
received scratch
Tho only time he was over hurt was iii
an ascension from Augusta, Ga. When
he descended the balloon caught on a
dead pine and was torn. He attempted
to dcscoNd by the drag rope, when the
balloon collapsed aud came down with Il
crash, badly bruising, but otherwise not
hurting him. Some of his voyages, how
ever, have been exceedingly pcrilous.
SOME TIRILLING VOYAGES.
On October II, 1875 lie went up from
Scranton, got caught in II windstorm
and came down ut Oak Station, nIont.
gomcry county, liO miles from the start.
ing point, the whole trip consuming but
two hours. On October 10, 1881, he
made his memorable ascension from
Chicago with HaShagOn of the Signal
Service Bureau. He was up nineteen
hours, and descended in the Wisconsin
wilderness, whero he and his comradc
lost their way and suffered terribly be-
tore they again came III contact with
civilization.
one night he was suspended between
sky and earth for l3hours over the Maine
and Canada Wilderness. His experience
that night was thrilling and remarkable.
The ascension was made ut 4 p. III. at
plymouth, n. H., his companion being
Luther T.. Holden, of the Boston Jour
ma. For six hours they hung over u
mile above the wilderness, the balloon
not losing foot of gas or the car an
ounce of ballast. When they landed
next morning they came down Mt the
head of II new railroad which was being
constructed 300 miles below Quebec,
near the Gulf of ST. Lawrence, over
which they had spent portion Of the
night. The road was 300 miles away
from any other road or civilization.
They rode to Quebec on blackboard,
driven by II French Canadian. Mr..
Holden always attributed their lucky
descent to an intcrposition of Divine
Providence.
In an ascension he made in August,
1870, from Burlington, Iowa, he was
caught III thunder storm, and came
near being struck by lightning. The
expansion of the air acted on the balloon
and drove the gas from the neck on to
his head, and through the open valve
with terrific velocity. He had Il thrilling
descent through the clouds, and on
reaching the earth went crashing through
trees, landing twelve miles from where
he assembled, having been driven back by
the storm. The whole trip consumed
tllrcc.quartcrs OF an hour.
AN AERIAL BRIDAL TRIP.
On the Fourth OF July of the same
year he took party of seven, including
two bridal couples, over Lake Eric from
Cleveland. The balloon sailed over the
lake TO Buffalo, where it struck n back
current and returned, passing Cleveland,
gradually approaching the Canada shore,
which it struck mt Point au Pelc 1t then
crossed n strip of Canada and 30 miles
OF Lake st. Clair, landing ] miles from
Port Huron ut midnight, having made
lSO miles in Is hours.
On another Fourth of July he took
five newspaper men from Buffalo to
Quinton, n. j. He crossed the Ale
ghonies and followed the Susquchanna
us far as Hnvro dc Grace, took sharp
turn and sailed due east across Delaware
into New Jersey, the whole trip taking
thirteen hours.
TUE WISE FAMILY.
Professor Charles Wise, under whose
direction the Independence" will be
sent up, is the son of the late Professor
John Wise, Sr., who was lost while
making an aerial voyage. He made his
first ascension thirty seven years ago,
when but ID years Of age, at Shannandalo
Springs, West Virginia. He went up
two and ono-ha!f miles and staid up
three hours, landing sixty six miles from
the starting point, to which place he re
turned in an OK cart. -Four yoors later
he made an ascension from Newbcrry-
port, Mass, on the occasion of civic
celebration. The wind was blowing to.
ward the ocean and the committee offer